Jasmine Days
by BellatrixLestrangey
Summary: Azula Week Day 7: Tea/Flower Shop AU. After a breakdown, Azula's therapist recommends something like gardening. She ends up working at a flower shop where she meets TyLee.


It is a little soft for Azula's liking, but her therapist suggests that it will be good for her. She supposes that the scent of lilac and daisy intermingling with herbal tea is at least kind of comforting. A look around shows potted tulips and lilies on each window sill and every table has either a small potted marigold, rose, lavender or clover. One even has a tiny each corner rests a potted sunflower surrounded by lavender. The ceiling is what impresses her the most; somehow the shop owners managed to get live wisteria branches to weave into willow and spanish most to create a natural roof. And from the curling branches hang potted eucalyptus bush. She can even see a few handcrafted wooden birds nestled with in. The interior almost has more flora than the exterior. And the bricks on the outside are almost wholly covered in ivy, the groud below a mural of dandelion and chrysanthemum.

She stands in the middle of the the flower-tea shop hybrid, somewhat awkwardly before approaching the counter.

"What can I get you!?" The girl greets cheerfully.

Azula slides a slip of paper across the counter.

The girl claps her hands together. "Oh! You're Azula!"

Azula nods.

"Follow me, the other girls and Kaito are really excited to meet you."

Azula slips her hands into her pockets. The scents and the scenery are lovely, but she isn't sure how she feels about volunteering here. It isn't exactly her flavor of work, it doesn't quite suit the personality she has been cursed with. She fights the urge to tell her new coworker that they are going to wish they hadn't.

"I'm TyLee." She introduces. "This is Bokwon." She points at a girl with green eyes and thick curly black hair. "Li-Hara" and to the girl with golden eyes and short, silky, black hair. "Xi-Qui" her finger falls on a darker skinned girl with big blue eyes and bushy brown locks. "And Shinya." Shinya appears to be the only boy in the room. But this isn't what draws Azula's attention so much as the bright pink splotch of dye in his bangs.

"Azula." She introduces herself rather plainly.

"It's pretty easy here." TyLee assures. "You'll mostly be working with me."

"TyLee's super friendly." Li-Hara cuts in, "you'll love her."

"And I usually work with the flowers. Me, and Shinya. Li-Hara makes tea and Bokwon and Xi-Qui usually serve it."

"It's just the five of you?" Azula asks.

"For now." TyLee confirms. "That's why we are looking for volunteers." She smiles cheerful.

Azula wonders if the girl is aware of the kind of help that has been sent to her. TyLee motions for her to follow. She pushes a curtain of wisteria out of the way and shows Azula the back room. "This is where we keep all of the seeds. While Shinya and I arrange and sell bouquets, we were hoping that you could plant new flowers and take care of the ones that are already growing."

That is that nature of her work. Apparently, gardening is supposed to be therapeutic, not that getting dirty appeals to Azula. But, at this point, she is willing to try anything to keep her psyche in a more stable condition. She just wants to be normal again…

She gives a solemn glance to the bright petals all around her. She wishes that she could have her own color back. Lately things have been in shades of grey with shadows weaving ominously in between.

Somehow the thought of the voices and whispers bring her a heightened awareness of the bottle of prescription pills in her pocket.

Either TyLee has been sent a copy of her situation or the girl simply detects the sulleness radiating off of her because Azula feels arms loop around her torso, "it's gonna be alright, you'll see!" Azula can hear the smile in the girl's voice. "I promise that you'll like it here."

She has heard that so many times before…

**.oOo. **

She isn't exactly lively, but there is a brighter sparkle in golden eyes that were once so blank only a week or so ago. TyLee watches Azula dig a small hole to place bluebell seeds within. The new routine gives her a sense of normalcy and a thing to ground herself with. The sharp perfume of each herb and flower gives something to focus on and latch onto when reality seems to be slipping.

"What kind of flower is your favorite?"

Azula looks up and then back to her work. Just when TyLee doesn't think she is going to get an answer, Azula softly replies, "lotus or rosemary."

"Those are pretty." TyLee agrees. Though Azula can imagine that she loves flowers of all sorts.

"What are yours?" She returns the question. Small talk has never come easy to her.

"I like cherry blossom and jasmine. But poppy is nice too!" TyLee rambles, confirming Azula's suspicion that she doesn't discriminate against any matter of flora.

Azula piles the dirt back over the seeds and adds some water. She stands and washes her hands. Planting the bluebells is her final assignment for the day. "I'll be going."

"Actually, I was hoping you'd like to join me and and the rest of the crew for our afterhour tea." TyLee tries.

"Afterhour tea?"

"Yeah, every day we celebrate our hard work with Li-Hara's best."

Azula looks at the time, not that it matters, she hasn't made any other plans. "I guess that I can." It will probably be good for her to let at least a handful of people get close to her. TyLee seems like a gentle and safe place to start.

The girl's face lights up and she throws her arms around Azula. She is starting to get used to the girl doing that, and for once she returns the embrace and pats the girl on the head. "Okay, you can let me go now."

TyLee laughs. She grabs Azula's hand and tugs her over to the tea shop portion of the building. "Azula is going to be joining us." She announces.

Azula is rather relieved when no one protests her arrival. For the first time, she truly considers that there is a chance for things to get better.


End file.
